'36 standard coupe spare tire lock

J

jerry/tx

Member
My coupe spare tire cover is locked and I don't have the key . Any magic potions to make it open . Has anyone ever picked one of these locks ? Thanks Jerry
 
I also have the exact same problem. My ignition key is the only key I have and it will not work. HELP! I don't want to have it drilled if I can help it. Thanks, Charles
 
I am not familiar with 36 tire locks, at least on how they mount to the car (I have made keys for several). Is it attached to a big tire cover or ??? If it is small enough and you guys can send it to me I might be able to open it. Post some pics or give me a call 845 551 5132 (or 772 333 2287 till Feb.28) and I will try to help.
 
The lock that is incorporated into the tire cover of the '36 Fords uses a small key similar to the glove box and/or door lock.. The key/lock is generally a "Hurd" lock..
I would think that any qualified locksmith could pick the lock, once the lock has been opened, it can then be removed from the cover, taken apart and a new key could be made to match the tumblers..
Of course in this day and age it might be very difficult to find a qualified locksmith that has the skills to pick an old lock.. If you go this route have an old, uncut, Hurd key blank handy to make the new key from...
 
Blucar,
That is one problem living in a small town. No locksmith at all. The last really good locksmith I knew, passed away a few years ago and he lived 22 miles from where I live. Locksmiths are hard to come by. Thanks for your advice and I will keep that in mind in case I ever find a locksmith. Charles
 
I had that problem once.Had to unbolt the carrier from the body.Once off couldn't even get in from the backside to release the 2 tabs of lock cyl.I cut up the carrier then was able to get the faceplate & tire off.I then bought another carrier for $40 .You still need a locksmith to pop the lock cyl and make a key.
 
deuce lover said:
I had that problem once.Had to unbolt the carrier from the body.Once off couldn't even get in from the backside to release the 2 tabs of lock cyl.I cut up the carrier then was able to get the faceplate & tire off.I then bought another carrier for $40 .You still need a locksmith to pop the lock cyl and make a key.
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Life ain't easy no more. Charles
 
Jerry.It seems like I read somewhere that the A's only had 6or 8 key patterns.The same might be true for the 36's.Mac's has Hurd blanks for about 5 bucks and the thickness is circuital.My 49 Chevy door key fits my friends 65 Corvette and his fits mine.So.....just maybe you could find another owner of an old Ford and see if his fits. It's worth a try. Good luck
 
It will be a stroke of luck if you find the correct key.Fords as far as I know did not have master keys like GM.The lock will have to be removed otherwise you will have to ship the entire faceplate cover.Maybe once you have the face plate off their might be a way to get the cyl out.
 
I have a 40 Ford, My car didn't come with any keys, I've collected keys over the years and tried them on my car, I was able to find seperate keys that work by "jiggling" the key as I turn them, not the best but they work. Unfortunately I have 4 different keys to my car (ignition, trunk, door, gas cap and no glove box) As Willit Stop says try as many different keys as you can get a hold of, one is bound to work.
 
funrunr said:
I have a 40 Ford, My car didn't come with any keys, I've collected keys over the years and tried them on my car, I was able to find seperate keys that work by "jiggling" the key as I turn them, not the best but they work. Unfortunately I have 4 different keys to my car (ignition, trunk, door, gas cap and no glove box) As Willit Stop says try as many different keys as you can get a hold of, one is bound to work.
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Do you have any Hurd keys you could send me to try? Charles
 
I think the cheapest way to solve the problem is to just drill the lock via the key-way..
Many years ago I had to have a locksmith come over to one of my apartments to pick/drill out a lock that a tenant had installed without my knowledge..
The lock could not be picked.. The guy probably did not have the skill.. He used a small "dremel" tool to drill out the key-way tumblers, stuck a screw driver in the lock and turned it, unlocking the latch/bolt...
I promptly went and bought a Dremel tool and a supply of their metal cutter bits.. I don't call out locksmiths anymore.. I drill the lock and replace it with a new one..
The locks for the '36 tire covers come up on ebay from time to time, the cost is usually less than what the locksmith would charge..
I think I have a couple of '36 spare tire locks in my stash of stuff.. The '36 cover locks have two "bolts" that extend to lock the cover in place, because of the cam action that deploys the bolts, I don't think they can be retracted other than by turning the lock cylinder.. I'll have to check into that..
 
I have already spoken to both Charles and Jerry by phone. Due to the lack of a local locksmith( Hurd locks are difficult to pick, if they could get a locksmith to even try.....ask me how I know) and the distance involved and size of the tire mount etc. to ship, drilling the lock out may be the most cost effective way out of this for both gentlemen. I hate to see a lock destroyed but I see no other way out for them. As blucar states a new lock cylinder would be much cheaper in the long run. I would make sure I had the proper lock cylinder in hand before I drilled anything.
 
I am not that familiar with '36 spare tire assemblies but I am wondering if you could somehow get in from the back with a tool to release those little spring loaded latches and remove the cap with the cylinder still in the locked position? Then remove the lock and cylinder from the cap. This would give access to the numbers on the cylinder to have a key cut. I have done this on 35's after crawling back in the trunk and removing the hardware that held the assembly in place. You might also consider contacting flatheadfan for his opinion on how to do this w/o drilling the lock cylinder. I know he has been working on the spare tire assembly on his 36. If you wind up needing a lock cylinder, I have one in nice condition that would need to have a key cut to its numbers. Good luck!
 
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JM 35 Sedan said:
I am not that familiar with '36 spare tire assemblies but I am wondering if you could somehow get in from the back with a tool to release those little spring loaded latches and remove the cap with the cylinder still in the locked position? Then remove the lock and cylinder from the cap. This would give access to the numbers on the cylinder to have a key cut. I have done this on 35's after crawling back in the trunk and removing removing the hardware that held the assembly in place. You might also consider contacting flatheadfan on his opinion on how to do this w/o drilling the lock cylinder. I know he has been working on the spare tire assembly on his 36. If you wind up needing a lock cylinder, I have one in nice condition that would need to have a key cut to its numbers. Good luck!
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I got lucky and my brother bought me several locks at the Portland, OR swap meet.

The lock cylinder can be knocked out from the back if you are lucky by drilling a 3/16 inch hold in the center of the case ber. The two pins hold the brass fingers in place. It would miss the two brass fingers and go thru just the spring:

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It would still destroy the cylinder and a spring but should fit between the two brass fingers:

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Lock cylinder is pinned in from the side by a setscrew on the outside of the case:

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lock cylinder
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I wish I had seen these pictures before I destroyed the lock that came with my cover!
 
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I just happened to look at my lock that is in the cover and it looks like you can take out the screw that holds in the lock cylinder. A punch could be used to ease out the lock then without a key. Kind of awkward but give it a try. You could also remove the cone held on my rivets to make it easier to get at the lock barrel. I have very seldom seen these locks for sale so it would be good to get yours apart. If you do, the cylinder has the numbers on it for the lock to make a key.

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I've documented this on my webpage:

https://sites.google.com/site/mrtexascitrus/home/36fordlock
 
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Thank you MRTEXAS for your tip on drilling a hole in the back and using a drift punch to extract the lock cylinder. I had been trying for a year to remove the cylinder every other way including drilling the cylinder itself with no luck. It took me less than 15 minutes using the above method. Of course you sacrifice the spring that extends between the brass lugs and probably scrap the old cylinder. However I have several NOS available if anybody else performs the same operation and needs a replacement lock cylinder.
Regards,
FlatHeadCoupe
 
I just had an idea. Is the key for the trunk the same as the spare tire, if so the trunk lock would be easy to remove and take to a locksmith. Or even the door lock?? What do you guys think? Just a thought. Charles
 
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